Computer manufacturers often place artificial constraints on the processing power of computer systems to enable multiple price points on lower end systems. Programmatically limiting the capability of a standard microchip set is sometimes more cost effective than manufacturing different microchip sets for different computers. As such, the computing industry uses the artificial limitations to profile computer products to different market demographics. For instance, a computer having a limited processor can be sold at a lower cost to a consumer than another computer having more or all of a microchip processor enabled. Different gradations of computer processor capabilities can thus be tailored to different markets.
The processor limitations are often designed and designated according to a percentage indicative of processor's limited capability relative to that of the standard, unlimited processor. This percentage is essentially an expression of how much a processor may be used during a preset unit of time, or interval. For instance, a user may purchase a computer having a 0.25 processor capability. As such, the processor of that computer can be used twenty-five percent of a given time interval. If the interval is ten milliseconds, for example, then the processor of the 0.25 computer can be active for up to 2.5 milliseconds of that ten millisecond interval. While the processor may be utilized less than its allocated percentage in a given interval, it cannot exceed its limits, e.g., 2.5 milliseconds for the interval.
While such performance caps do not significantly impact response times of small tasks, such as certain read or caching applications, response times can be undesirable for processor intensive tasks when response times are critical. For instance, a computer may require multiple intervals of the reduced processor capacity to complete certain server applications. These multiple intervals generally mean poor response times, e.g., taking four times longer than would the same task with a fully enabled processor. This problem becomes exacerbated when multiple users submit tasks concurrently. Poor response times, in turn, may translate into consumer frustration and a reluctance to purchase capped processor computers.
There is consequently a need for an improved manner of addressing processing tasks within a computing systems having capped processing capabilities.